Trilogy increased ELP's worldwide popularity, and included "Hoedown", an arrangement of the Aaron Coplandcomposition, which was one of their most popular songs when performing live.

References to a quad version of this album appeared in 1974 Harrison or Schwann record & tape guides, listing Trilogy in the Quadraphonic 8-track tape cartridge format. Collectors report never seeing a Trilogy Q8 at retail, despite its having a catalog number "Cotillion QT-9903."[citation needed]

Contents

"The Endless Enigma" consists of three parts: Endless Enigma Part One, Fugue and Endless Enigma Part Two. Endless Enigma Part One has a quiet intro lasting 1 minute and 36 seconds. This intro section consists of the Moog, bass drum and piano. The song Endless Enigma Part One opens with the sound of a beating heart, an effect created by the Ludwig Speed King bass drum pedal of Palmer's Ludwig Octaplus kit. Palmer used the effect before it was used on Jethro Tull's A Passion Play and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, both released in 1973, as well as Queen's Queen II, which was released in 1974.

"From the Beginning" is a soft, acoustic guitar based piece that peaked at #39 on the US charts.[2] More often appearing in ELP compilations than live concerts, the track lent its name to a 1997 retrospective of Greg Lake's work.[3] The song was also covered by Czech folk rock band Marsyas, albeit under a different name (Studená koupel - Cold Bath) and with Czech lyrics.[4]

In the opening drum solo on the track "The Sheriff", Carl Palmer accidentally hit the rim of his tom-tom with a drumstick. He responded with the word "shit" which can be heard when listening carefully. "The Sheriff" ends with a Honky Tonk type piano solo with Palmer playing woodblocks.[citation needed]

"Hoedown" was composed after Emerson first went to Romania at the George Enescu Festival. Thus it involves traditional Romanian music elements. The adaptation of "Hoedown" features a rollicking organ theme with synthesizer flourishes. It became the opening song for both the Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery tours.

"Abaddon's Bolero" sounds like a Bolero turned into a march (in 4/4 rhythm rather than the usual 3/4). A single melody containing multiple modulations within itself is repeated over and over in ever more thickly layered arrangements, starting from a quiet Hammond organ making a flute-like sound over a snare drum, and building up to a wall of sound. Maurice Ravel's famous Bolero uses a similar effect. "Abaddon's Bolero" is replete with overdubs. Almost every time an instrument comes in, another overdub follows. "Abaddon's Bolero" was only played live a handful of times, with Greg Lake handling Mellotron and additional Moog synthesizer duties; the song turned out to be a disaster, and was cut from the setlist.[5]

^"Vintage Rock Interview with Greg Lake". vintagerock.com. Retrieved 12 March 2012. I do like Trilogy. It is my favorite ELP album. It couldn’t be anyone else. It truly is a definitive album. It is the very best of ELP in a way. It’s got flashes of all the best things of what we were.